James M. Jeffords: “Today, there are more than 12 million children under the age of five--including half of all infants under one year of…”

“Today, there are more than 12 million children under the age of five--including half of all infants under one year of age--who spend at least part of their day being cared for by someone other than their parents. There are millions more school-aged children under the age of twelve who are in some form of child care at the beginning and end of the school day as well as during school holidays and vacations. And more six to twelve year olds who are latchkey kids--returning home from school to no supervision because parents are working and there are few, if any, alternatives. The past two decades have seen a dramatic rise in the number of women in the paid labor force. Women now constitute 46% of our nation's labor force. Most women are working to meet their family's basic needs. More than 60% of women with pre-school aged children are employed full- or part-time. Their employment is not a choice, but an essential part of their family's economic survival. And for most of these families, child care is not an option, but a requirement.”